Councillor Bob Kilmister

Pigeon Loft the Cross, Dinas Cross - Refused.

Bob Kilmister, County Councillor for Dinas Cross, has filed a written complaint with the National Park concerning a recent planning decision. The decision involved Mr Roy Davies, aged 73, who has a pigeon loft on his land in Dinas Cross,hidden away behind some hedges. His racing pigeons have achieved success all over the country – even beating the Queen’s pigeons. Recently Pembrokeshire Coast National Park told Mr Davies that he needed planning permission for the pigeon loft. He duly put in an application, supported by both Dinas Community Council and Bob Kilmister. Bob Kilmister sent an email to the National Park requesting that the decision should be made by the planning committee.
However, the National Park planning officer decided to refuse Mr Davies’ application without reference to the committee. “The National park did not follow the correct procedure,” says Bob Kilmister. “ When a
Community Council disagrees with the National Park officers recommendation then they must consider the matter at their planning committee. An individual planning officer cannot decide the case.”

In response to his complaint, the planning officer said that Bob had not requested that the application should go to committee. However, that is not correct. Bob’s email was quite clear. “This is yet another example of unsatisfactory behaviour from the National Park in respect of planning matters,” says Bob. “In my view,” says Bob, “the Park is completely out of touch and is failing to communicate properly with local residents. For example, they ignored most of the representations made by local people during the recent Local Plan ‘consultation’.”
In Bob’s view, the National Park authority cannot be allowed to continue this way. Either there needs to be a radical change in their behaviour or they should lose their right to deal with
planning matters. There are no elections to the National Park. Therefore, Bob Kilmister is organising a petition to give local residents the chance to make their voice heard. If you agree that something needs to
be done, please sign the petition and return it to Bob.

Petition

As a resident living within the Pembrokeshire Coastal National Park Authority I am not satisfied with the way that planning applications are being considered at
present. I want to see radical changes to the way the Authority operates or I would like to see the Welsh Assembly Government take away the responsibility for planning
from the authority.

Signature (s)
Name (s)
Address
Post Code

Please send back your forms to:
Bob Kilmister, Fagwyr Einon, Llanychaer, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, SA65 9SP.

Change only happens when you make it happen.

I fully back the campaign to save the Milford Haven Coastguard.  Pembrokeshire has a unique coast most of which is in the National Park.  We also have a very busy port at Milford Haven with LPG terminals and oil refineries.  We must protect our environment at all costs.  Another serious accident like the Sea Empress disaster would have a catastrophic affect on our County.  I believe we must fight to save this service.

I am delighted to say that the Trunk Road Agency who told me in November that they had no money for road safety improvements have now come up with a scheme which should be up and running in Bwlchmawr shortly. In addition the Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones has said money will be made available for a traffic calming scheme in the next financial year.  No details on this yet but at least it is a positive signal.

Below is the scheme outlined in an email from the TRA.

Good morning Cllr Kilmister,

Since we met in December last year the Agency has managed to secure additional funding to trial Vehicle Activated sign schemes on the Trunk Road network in Ceredigion and north Pembrokeshire. Although the funding is rather modest, we have identified three locations to run as trial sites – one of those is at Bwlchmawr, Dinas Cross, not least because of the enforcement issues raised by Dyfed Powys Police at December’s meeting. Orders have been placed for three VA sign units – one unit per location – which will be set up on a three month rotation at either end of the trial sites. So, at Bwlchmawr we intend to set up two post assemblies, one at each end of the trial site, and rotate the VA sign position every three months or so. This will hopefully avoid the problems of drivers becoming complacent to a sign that is fixed at one location, as recommended by current guidelines.

These VA signs are also suitable as continuous speed data collection devices, so they can be used to provide speed data during the trial period without having to resort to other means of obtaining the data, for example by installing automatic traffic counter loops fixed to the carriageway surface.

I am hopeful the signs will be in place by the end of March, but this is subject to a 6-8 week lead-in period for delivery of the VA sign units. However, work to installing bases and posts may be undertaken well in advance, ready for the sign installation.

I will do my best to keep you posted of any changes.

I trust this is satisfactory.

Bob Kilmister has been selected as the Welsh Liberal Democrats candidate for the Preseli Pembrokeshire Welsh Assembly seat.

Bob Kilmister is married to Nikki and has a son Thomas who attends Ysgol Bro Gwaun in Fishguard. They live on a smallholding between Llanychaer and Dinas Cross, where they keep Lleyn sheep, poultry and bees. Bob was born in Cheltenham and his mother originated from a Welsh speaking family in Criccieth and his grandfather worked as a solicitor in David Lloyd George’s practice. The family moved to Pembrokeshire from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, where Bob had worked for J Sainsbury plc for 30 years, 12 as a store manager. Bob also has strong environmental interests and is a member of Friends of the Earth. He is Chair of Ysgol Bro Gwaun PTA and Treasurer of Fishguard and Goodwick Rotary Club.

In making his acceptance speech, Bob stressed that the most important issue he will be promoting is the move towards a fairer voting system to completely overhaul our Parliamentary system and bring it up to date. “Total transparency is an absolute requirement as is a fair voting system”, said Bob. “I believe the coalition at Westminster has at least started on some of the issues, but we need to keep the pressure on, so we bring this nation into the 21st Century. We must convince the public to vote YES in the referendum, to be held on the same day as the Welsh Assembly Elections”.

Bobs other beliefs:-

• I believe in the individual. Protecting their rights, standing up for them against government or business is fundamental to my vision of a decent society. I totally believe in localism and I try to oppose centralism at every opportunity.
• Labour’s state legislation program worried me. It took away our civil liberties and took us to the verge of a police state. The way to beat terrorists and extremists is to show that your society has values worth fighting for and not by taking away people’s hard won rights.
• I believe in free enterprise. Promoting small business is the way to prosperity as are the profit sharing schemes in larger organizations. I do not believe in the roulette style of business which brought us to the mess we are in now.
• I believe in social responsibility that means that the citizen has responsibilities, not just the state. There is nothing wrong with aspiration and it is something we should promote strongly.
• I believe in equal opportunity for all. The recent funding decision on University funding goes against all my instincts and I am glad that all the Welsh Liberal Democrat MP’s voted against it.
• I am deeply worried about the performance of Wales in the sectors of Health and Education where we are lagging behind the rest of the U.K.  Our Health spending is lower per head than in England with longer waiting times and no choice about where you are treated.  Our children receive on average £600 per head less than in England and pupil achievement rates are lower than in the rest of the U.K.  Labour and Plaid will tell you that it is all the Coalition governments fault but in reality it is the policies they have adopted in Wales.  We deserve better.
• We need to ensure we have a thriving agricultural sector. The TB eradication policy is in tatters and we waste millions on killing healthy livestock that do not even have the disease.

Martin Drew, the Chair of Preseli Pembrokeshire Liberal Democrats said :

“We are pleased to have Bob as our candidate. He is the strongest candidate we have fielded for the Welsh Assembly and I know Bob will put his heart into it, as he has in his two and a half years as the County Councillor for Dinas Cross ward. In that short time, he has earned many plaudits for his active community campaigning, not just in his own ward, but his name has achieved recognition across the north of the County. At County Hall, Bob has actively called for greater openness and democracy. Over the next 4 months, I know Bob will work hard to get his message heard across the rest of the Constituency. Bob has a proven record that will make him an ideal voice to represent the needs of the people of Pembrokeshire as he is not afraid to speak out. The Constituency Party is also pleased that Bob has chosen to use his campaign to promote a YES vote in the forthcoming referendum on the Alternative Vote”

Please complete the new survey on who should develop the new supermarket in Fishguard.  The survey can be found on the left hand menu.

Outrageous scandal of 1806 ‘lost ambulance hours’ at Withybush Hospital.

Over the last past 22 months, an outrageous 1,806 hours have been wasted at Withybush while ambulances wait to discharge their patients.   This has cost of over £137,000.  The sum wasted across the Hywel Dda Health Board amounts to nearly £500,000.

 Apart from causing distress to the patient waiting to be transferred to the A&E department, pressure is put on ambulance crews responding to other emergency calls in the area. 

 Bob Kilmister, Preseli Liberal Democrat Assembly Candidate, said:

“This information, brought to light by a Welsh Liberal Democrat enquiry under the Freedom of Information Act, clearly shows that despite the magnificent efforts of all the staff involved, patients are being let down by the mismanagement of the Labour-Plaid run NHS.  Discharge rates in England are 72% better.  Pembrokeshire residents are receiving a second class service because of this.”

 Veronica German, Welsh Liberal Democrats Shadow Health Minister , adds:

 “These figures are absolutely shocking. Month after month, we see that Welsh patients have to wait an unacceptable amount of time for ambulances to respond to emergency call-outs and now we see that ambulances have to wait an unacceptable amount of time to transfer patients and get back on the road to respond to emergency calls.

 “On top of the staggering wasted ambulances hours across Wales, it is estimated that over £6 million was lost to the Welsh NHS over the last two years because of queuing ambulances.  We should be looking for savings in the NHS not wasting money.”

Liberal Democrat Welsh Assembly Candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire.

County Councillor Bob Kilmister gave evidence on Thursday 21/01/11 to Pembrokeshire County Councils Economy Committee. They however decided to do nothing about Fishguard Town Centre.

 He outlined the desperate position that retailers were facing, particularly in the towns of Fishguard and Milford Haven.  He called on the Councillors to recommend to Cabinet that parking charges in both Towns be removed.

 He pointed out to Councillors that the expensive Buchanan report commissioned by the County Council had recommended that no charges should be applied in the West Street car park until a new supermarket had been built. He also compared the facilities offered by out of town retail centres with their free parking and excellent access to the situation in Fishguard.   Here we have pavements that are too narrow, a constant danger from vehicles and parking charges.

From the Councils report he estimated that the weekly turnover of the average retail premises in Fishguard Town Centre was only £1,887.  This is before any deductions for Rent, Rates, Heating & Lighting or Staffing Costs.  You cannot earn a decent living on such figures and it shows clearly the crisis that traders face.

 Bob Kilmister said “this is a crisis.  I believe it will get much worse unless we take concerted action. The financial position in this Town Centre is simply shocking”.

“To afford the introduction of parking wardens we have introduced car parking charges which are having an economic affect on the Independent retail business sector.  There are many who welcome this development but I am afraid I am not convinced.  My belief is that in 12 to 18 months many will regret what we are doing. Time will tell but empty town centres will often never regenerate once custom has gone elsewhere.  You may well be killing the goose that lays the golden egg.”

 Ends

 Note.  Bob Kilmister was an Executive with J Sainsbury Plc for 30 years and has great experience in the retail sector.

The cabinet of Pembrokeshire County Council agreed this week in secret session to the following:

“That the equity share option in Bluestone resorts Ltd be taken up and that the Director of Finance and Leisure, in consultation with the Head of Legal and Committee Services, be authorised to take all necessary legal actions for the Council in relation to the restructuring of the Company.”

As a Councillor I cannot comment on the Pink Pages which were provided for Councillors as I could be breaking my code of conduct.  I am however convinced that we have not been given all the information and that the Chairman of the Economic Committee and it’s members should have called this decision in and subjected it to proper scrutiny.  The Chairman refused to do so and could not answer a simple question which another Councillor put to him on Friday.  I think he should resign as he clearly is not doing his job. 

I suggest that you follow the link below which provides much more information than was provided to Councillors and is in the Public Domain.  I have no idea who this person is but he knows more about this than any back bench Councillor in Pembrokeshire.  I also suggest that you view “Old Grumpy’s” comments about this on his website.

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/pembrokeshire_county_council_sha

http://freespace.virgin.net/oldgrumpy.mike/December%203%202009.html

 I would welcome your comments about this.

This application which was first lodged in April 2008 was finally heard by Pembrokeshire County Councils Planning Committee on Tuesday 03/11/09.  I am a member of that committee so I have been unable to make any public comments until that meeting.  The application was given approval with a total of 27 conditions. 

I was responsible for drafting 4 of these conditions, with the help of the Officers, although one of them was amended slightly by other committee members.  This was condition 2 where the exact machinery to be used was removed.

This application has divided the community and so everyone can be aware of exactly what I said at the meeting, details of my speech are copied below.  Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries.

This application has split opinion within my area. There are those who favour farm diversification, recognising just how difficult it is for farmers at this time. These people in the main do not live very close to or are not affected personally by the application.  However 6 letters of support come from within what I consider to be the affected area, which is significant. 

There are those who oppose this scheme because it impacts on their Amenity.  They are concerned about noise, dust and the possible visual and wildlife impact.  These people in the main live adjacent or very close to the site. 

There are those who oppose this scheme because they believe it will have a detrimental affect on their business. These are exclusively those who run tourist based operations.  These are a Caravan Park and 4 other business’s who run or are in the process of already building holiday cottage accommodation.  I believe that there are currently 6 units of accommodation and a further 8 proposed which have current planning permission. 

It is clear from reading the complete file yesterday which took me in excess of two hours that this is far from a cut and dried matter. The application would have been recommended for refusal on noise but for a noise survey that was completed by the applicant.  The survey has not however measured any background noise at this site currently.  This is extremely important and I refer members to page 12 item 3.18.  Without the background noise level being recorded we have no baseline data.  

It is clear that the maximum noise level would be 67 db during the installation of the bund and the one week per year when crushing was taking place.  Many residents are very concerned about the other 51 weeks of the year and as yet there is no figure available to assess the decibel level. The Tourist business’s also want to know exactly when this week of operation will take place, so they can warn potential clients in advance.  I personally think it is reasonable to give a minimum of 8 weeks notice.  

The noise levels in the report using similar machines to that envisaged in this application show levels up to 93 db.  The report then concludes that the bund and the distance to the nearest properties will reduce this to 63 db.  This is 4 decibels away from the maximum.  This site is not straight forward as several properties affected are in fact higher than the proposed site.  Noise here appears to reverberate around the valley and I have no confidence that the agreed sound levels will be achieved.  1 resident also has a studio that she uses to work in, that is much closer to the site than is mapped.  

The conditions however do clearly specify the highest level that can be reached and if I was the applicant I would be extremely uneasy based on this report that the agreed levels will be met.  The sound level recorded 3 metres away from the machine by the time it reaches affected properties has to have reduced by 28% to meet the minimum requirement.With the wind in the wrong direction – any result could occur! 

There is no doubt in my mind that the adjoining residents will lose amenity, the question is just how much.  If the noise were just for 7 days in each calendar year then I would have no difficulty with this application.  Although the crushing will take place for 7 days other works will carry on for possibly another 51 weeks.  If the machinery is limited to a farm tractor outside of this one week then again on balance I feel that is what one can reasonably expect from a farm, provided we have recorded sound levels to back this up.  JCB’s however are a very different story and I think it is essential that the machinery proposed by the applicant in this report becomes a condition.  Reversing beepers should also be not allowed which is already in the proposed conditions. 

I am not concerned at the traffic implications because until recently this farm had a large diary herd and an articulated milk tanker regularly visited.  There are proposed conditions for transport which meet all my concerns. 

The report on page 14 item 3.32 concerns tourism. Llanychaer has a unique selling point, which is its peace and quiet.  The turnover from this proposed application will be less than that generated by the tourist Industry.  The applicants stand to gain while 5 other business may lose.

The Village is divided between the National Park and this planning authority by the B4313.  If the application had been on the other side of the road then it would not have got this far.  The National Park’s view is very clear cut and I do not think this authority has addressed their objections. 

So what is my conclusion?

I am prepared to recommend approval with the addition of four new conditions.  These are:

The dates of crushing to be agreed 8 weeks in advance and communicated to residents. 

After construction of the bund and excluding the 7 days that crushing takes place, only a farm tractor with a 2.5 tonne loading shovel at the front to be used in conjunction with packing.  No movements of spoil to take place outside of the week crushing takes place. 

That this authority determine the base background noise level before work commences and this plus 10 db is the agreed maximum noise level when crushing is not taking place. 

That the applicant arranges for sound levels to be recorded in conjunction with this local authority for the seven days that crushing takes place.

This is the speech I gave to the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Friday 25/09/09.  They subsequently agreed to go ahead with the necessary statutory notices to introduce car parking charges in Fishguard, Narbeth, Newport, Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock.  I was able to speak for 4 minutes but not vote, as I am not a member of this committee.  There was an excellent debate with contributions from Sian James and Moira Lewis plus some excellent input from Myles Pepper, Sue Parkins and Rhys Sinnott who are Committee members.  It was very fairly chaired by Peter Stock but I was extremely disappointed with their final decision.  This is however not the end of the matter and I will looking for other ways to try and prevent it happening. 

My Speech:

In my 4 minutes I would like to concentrate on the financial aspects of these proposals. I spent 29 years in the retail trade, 12 as a store manager for J Sainsbury Plc at a number of very different stores.  Most of these stores had an individual turnover which exceeds all of the Town Centres listed with the exception of Haverfordwest.  As a result I believe I am very qualified to speak on this subject. 

Supermarkets NEVER charge for car parking unless they are forced to by a local authority.  There is a very solid financial reason for this and it is quite simply profit. They realise that free parking is ESSENTIAL to their business success.   

Local Authorities across Britain ignore these facts in pursuit of additional revenue.  They then complain that Supermarkets and out of Town shopping centres have killed their retail centres.  This is Rubbish!  Car Park charges, poor parking facilities, high rents & rates combine to kill off the Independent retailer.  Soon Town Centres are full of empty premises and the decline accelerates.  Councillors then blame the big retailers and internet shopping.  The blame really lies with their lack of understanding of what makes retail tick and their desire for a quick buck. 

If you look at the way Haverfordwest is developing my argument makes even greater sense.  The retail shops outside of the town centre all regulate their parking but do not charge.  They are expanding and more major names are promised.  Further development will probably follow in the local plan.  What is happening in central Haverfordwest meanwhile, is it thriving in the same way?     Fishguard, Milford Haven, Narbeth, Newport and Pembroke Dock will all decline sharply unless you reject these proposals. 

It is very easy to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.  Narbeth is a prime example.  Lots of good Independent retailers and free car parking has brought about a town centre shopping experience which many are prepared to travel to, even from outside this County.  We should be concentrating on replicating this example in Pembrokeshire and not killing it.   

I would particularly like members of this Committee to look at the lack of detailed financial information.   There is no cost benefit analysis.  How can Cabinet and this Committee make decisions without the relevant information?  This information MUST be in the public domain before a decision is taken.  This should be available for every site proposed. 

I represent a very rural ward. The third largest ward in Pembrokeshire.  All of my constituents have to travel to get most of their shopping needs.  There is very limited Public Transport and local car parking charges will simply represent a new STEALTH TAX on rural communities.  Rural communities are already suffering considerably in the current financial climate, yet this proposal will make matters worse. 

In addition  Puncheston & Little Newcastle areas have a choice as to where they drive to  for shopping.  Many currently choose Fishguard but any charges will in my view simply send them to Tesco & Morrisons in Haverfordwest.  The affect on Fishguard will be considerable.  Fishguard cannot cope with a drop in revenue as most retail outlets are already struggling.  All three Community Councils in my ward STRONGLY oppose these proposed charges. A very large number of my constituents travel to Newport for their Medical services. The proposed charges at this site would be a HEALTH TAX.  The Welsh Assembly Government has already acted to stop Hospital car parking charges but we are now proposing to introduce Surgery charges at this site.  This is fundamentally wrong. 

I personally use the Fishguard facilities a great deal and I am convinced that any charges will have a devastating affect on the retail economy.  Never has there been a worse time to consider charging.  Even the extremely poor Buchanan report makes recommendations which have been selectively ignored.  Why spend money on consultants and then ignore what they say without good reason? 

I have not mentioned off street parking or residents parking due to lack of time but these also represent serious issues in all locations. 

I implore members of this Committee to report back to Cabinet that no new car parking charges should be introduced in Pembrokeshire.